I was dragged into my cell by a pair of Avengers, who wore their distinctive full plate ice armor and ice combat wings. These separate the normal waterbenders from the Avengers, as the constant waterbending would exhaust most people, but the Avengers are famous for doing are impossible. It's very flashy, I just find it completely unnecessary.

I was trapped in a six by six feet cell with simply a four solid iron walls. No contact with the outside world. The cell was in complete isolation. There were metal mechanisms to restrain me while they served me water. The air was climate controlled and completely dry. They kept me dehydrated on purpose so I couldn't produce any tears or sweat. This prison was built to prevent waterbending, to imprison waterbenders. This is where the Fire Nation kept Hama, the original Bloodbender.

I swear the guards were mixing some cactus juice into the water they were feeding me. I spent the first month hallucinating about everything, even though I knew I was trapped in a iron cell.
I dreamt about happily accepting Aang's proposal.
I dreamt about all of my friends cheering and celebrating
I dreamt about the wonderful marriage that would occur, walking down the aisle, and saying "I do".
I dreamt about the continuing adventures that would follow.
I dreamt about the children we would have.
I dreamt about rebuilding my home and the Southern Water Tribe
I dreamt about the children all my firends would have and would come over to play
I dreamt about watching my chirdren grow up and fall in love themselves.
I dreamt about growing old with Aang, watching the world grow and prosper in peace.
I dreamt about seeing new life again, as I held my grandchildren in my hands.

I dreamt about an entire lifetime with Aang. I had almost completely forgot that he died, or how he died. I was happy, for once after that night. It all came crashing down once I realized that none of that was real, that I was still eighteen and trapped in this cell. That I was the one that killed Aang. The call of reality, the fall hurt more than you can ever imagine.


Hama visited me. She came periodically.
On the first time I was retrained when she looked at me, her face emotionally neutral.
"It's a full moon out tonight," she said.

"I wouldn't know," I replied.

"It's only been a month."

I scowled back

"It took you no time at all to go crazy," she continued.

"You put something in the water!" I shouted.

"No I didn't," she replied back calmly, "You are just going through grief. I find that there are five stages. I'll give you a hint. The first one is denial."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are. The Avatar is dead."

"NO HE IS NOT!"

"Yes he is."

"NO HE IS NOT. THE AVATAR IS ALIVE AND WELL. HE TRAVELS THE WORLD, BRINGING PEACE AND RENEWAL WHERE EVER HE GOES!"

"No he is not. The Avatar is not alive and the world is suffering for it. The is death and discord through out the land, mostly directly caused Firelord Azula and you not being there to stop it."

"NO, THE AVATAR IS ALIVE AND STOPPING ALL OF THIS. HE'LL SOON PUT AN END TO THE VIOLENCE AND HE'LL SOON COME HERE TO RESCUE ME!"

"No he is not. Are you listening to me? You killed him with your bare hands. Here, let me show you a demonstration."

Hama pulled out a cage with two rats. "Ok so we have here a male and a female rat. It's that time of season and the female is in heat, so they like each other very much at the moment. Let's call the female Katara, and the male the Avatar. Now you and the Avatar were like this," she said as the rats were chasing each other in circles. "My Bloodbenders had to practice very hard to bloodbend someone else to dance very well. Somehow Azula predicted that we'll be needing that very skill," she puzzled.

I let out a primal roar.

"Oh well," Hama continued. "Next you two did this." The rats continued spinning in circles. "I said you two did this." The rats still spun in circles. "One second." She moved her hands and arms. The female rat stood up on its hind legs and the male was on its fours, facing the female. "Some times you have to force it. Rats too. Now the Avatar was like this, and you were like this. And then, bam!" The female rat bent over and bit the male in the neck. The male fell down and bled to death. "Now, this is not how exactually it happened, but you get the idea."

I pleaded, "The Avatar is not, the Avatar is not..."

Hama countered, "Why do you keep on calling him the Avatar. Aren't you on a first name basis at least?"

"Duh, the Avatar's name is... the Avatar's name is..."

This was my breaking point.

"I killed the Avatar. The Bloodbenders made me kill the Avatar. You trained the new Bloodbenders. YOU KILLED AANG!" I roared. "I'm going to kill you. I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Fine then," Hama calmly replied. The metal restraints let go of me. "There is no water here, except in one place," as she spread her arms out. "Do it and you get to leave. Do it and you walk out of here free. Even my Bloodbending Avengers will knee before you as your new students. They deserve the best. My loss occurred far too long ago to make me a proper Bloodbender and a teacher."

I got into the proper stance. I focused and felt her heartbeat. I opened my hands and...

I couldn't do it.

Hama sighed, disappointed. "No, like this!" as she popped the female rat. Its blood and chunks sprayed me and my face. She paused for a second. "I wonder if it was pregnant?" Hama then looked at me. "Maybe." She put her hand on my belly. It was repelsive and ice cold. "Azula told me you were vomiting that morning, because you were that nervous. Or, maybe, it was something else." She put on my restraints and walked to the door and turned around. "Either way, you loss someone important to you, someone you loved. But if so, you just lost more than we realized. But it remains an if, as we'll never know. Lightning does bad things to bad people. See you next month."

She closed the door and I screamed.